The Morning After
by Noorlo
Summary: It's just Castle and Beckett; coffee, banter, eye-rolls, just... in bed. Post-Always.


**Here you can add your own comment about how fucking amazing the finale was, how I'm still flailing, and how I will definitely not survive the hiatus (:**

**THE MORNING AFTER**

…

The first time she wakes up she's still in his arms; he's protectively and maybe a bit territorially wrapped around her. His nose is buried in her hair and she can feel his breath on her neck; something she would usually hate, even from a lover, but right now she doesn't care about.

All she feels is his warmth, all she hears is his rhythmic breathing, all she smells is him and she vividly remembers the way he tasted on her lips.

He's all that's there in that moment, and it's okay, it's all good, so she slips back to sleep.

…

The second time she wakes up he's not there anymore, but the spot next to her is still warm and she hears him rummaging through stuff in the living room; clumsily dropping things and the occasional yelp.

She smiles.

He's cute.

And she likes how she can finally allow herself to think that way now.

So she turns around one more time and falls into another slumber, because she's got nowhere to be and nothing to do, and she likes his bed, and it feels right, and maybe because she is a little afraid of facing him.

After all, she basically attacked him last night, and although they had been greater than great, she knows how things can seem so much different in the light of day.

But she doesn't regret it. Any of it. Not at all.

…

The third time she wakes up it's because he's awkwardly entering the bedroom; trying to hold the door and open and carry two mugs, that by the smell she figures contain coffee, at the same time.

She yawns and gets herself to sit up straight; pulls up the sheets to cover her body.

''Hey.'' He says and she can see he's slightly nervous.

''Hey.'' She replies with a smile; after all, he doesn't seem like he regrets anything and this all just feels _so_ good.

''I-uh, I made you coffee?'' He says as he sets down one mug on the nightstand and hands her the other. _Nikki Heat,_ it says in big letters, and then _watch out, hot_ on the edge, and she wonders how long he's had that, and how long he's been wanting her to drink from it.

''Oh, thanks.'' She says as she wraps both hands around the warm mug. She breathes in the smell and decides that no matter how good coffee smells; Castle smells even better. ''I could get used to this.'' She then says with a smile.

He doesn't respond, just smiles.

Then she arches her brow because he's still only sitting on the edge of the bed. She pats the place next to her; there were he previously was.

She sees he's a little hesitant, but he sets his mug down on the nightstand and crawls back in the bed, next to her although not touching her.

She shifts to the right and kisses his cheek, then snuggles up against his side. Then, he wraps his arm around her and kisses her temple.

''Hey.'' He says, again, and she chuckles.

''Hello, handsome.''

''My dear detective, did you just call me handsome?'' He teases her, a smile on his face that beats even the best she's ever seen on him.

But then insecurity and pain flashes through her eyes because she doesn't know how to tell him this and she doesn't want to tell him this, because she-

-loves him.

''Oh. Rick. I-uh, might have forgotten to mention a small detail?'' She awkwardly spits out.

He just looks at her, waiting for her to continue.

''I'm not a detective anymore… I-uh-'' But he immediately interrupts.

''Did Gates fire you? I'm going to-''

She silences him with a kiss, another awkward one because she has to make sure she doesn't spill he coffee she's still holding him her hands.

She takes a sip, then shakes her head and looks down at her lap.

''No. I-uh, Gates asked us –Espo and me- to hand in our badges. She wanted to suspend us but then… then I just… I felt like, this is enough, this is it, and I-'' She closes her eyes as if that will take away some of the hurt. ''-said that she could keep it. I resigned.''

She doesn't dare to look at him, but he just tightens the embrace and buries his face in her hair –he seems to really like that feature, she notes.

''I'm sorry.'' She whispers.

''What for?'' He asks.

''Now you've got no one to follow around. Unless you-'' She swallows. ''-want to follow… someone else?'' She asks and she hates how small and weak her voice sound because she really doesn't-

''No. I'm never gonna follow around another detective again.''

That lifts a weight of her shoulders.

''But now you've…'' Her voice trails off. ''What about your books?''

''Can I tell you a secret?'' He smiles, and of course she nods. ''It's not about the books anymore.'' He doesn't see her face but he can feel her smiling. ''And it hasn't been for a pretty long time.''

''I love you.'' She whispers.

His grin grows even bigger. He takes her mug out of her hand and tries to put it away but she reaches for it.

''Hey! Don't take my coffee!'' She exclaims, but he's holding it just out of reach.

''Not even when there are… other things… we could be doing?'' He says smugly, but she just clutches the sheets to her chest and tries to reach for the mug again.

Then he slowly brings her mug to his lips and takes a sip.

''Mmmm...'' He moans exaggeratedly and she pouts indignantly.

''Don't drink my coffee!'' He takes another sip. ''Hey! No! Riiiick!'' She shrieks.

''This is delicious.'' He says, looking at her with sparkling eyes.

''Give it back!'' She's now sitting on her knees, but she stubbornly refuses to drop the sheets and he's just out of reach.

He's laughing, pure joy and when the realization sinks in she joins him and falls down on his chest. He's shaking with laughter and in that moment she doesn't care about whatever is happening outside of this loft, doesn't care she's got no job, doesn't care the sniper, her mom's killer, are still on the loose. She simply doesn't care.

Because she's here with him and in this moment everything is so perfectly imperfect and she feels-

-happy.

After minutes and minutes of laughing she relaxes and lays her head down in the creek of his neck. For a while they just lay there in silence, smiles on their faces while their coffee gets cold; but for once, they don't care.

''It's so weird.'' She then mumbles. ''Everything has changed. In one day everything changed.'' She sounds like she's still trying to make herself understand everything, and she probably is.

''For better or worse?'' He asks.

''For the better.'' She smiles. ''So much better. You know I- I should be angry, or hurt, or at least upset over losing my job, but I'm not. I'm not upset at all and I… I mean; eventually I'll surely worry about it but it's just so strange, normally I would be freaking out already.'' She chuckles softly. ''And this…'' She says as she starts tracing shapes and patterns on his chest with her finger. ''-I always thought it would be hard. But it's not. It's not at all.''

''Sometimes you just gotta dive in; headfirst.'' He replies.

She hums appreciatively. '

''I mean… I don't really know what I expected it to be but just not… not like this.'' She murmurs.

''Is th-''

''That's a good thing.'' She interrupts him. ''I'd imagined it to be good, but it turns out to be even better.'' She smiles as she kisses his neck.

''Good.''

''I also thought I wouldn't be able to do this.'' She says.

''What's 'this'?'' He asks.

''You know, talk about stuff. Especially stuff like this; relationship stuff, things I can't do…I've never been good at that stuff and now, now everything has changed and I feel really, really happy, and I feel really… free. It's so surreal. And this is just the first day of the rest of my life, you know?''

''Every day is the first day of the rest of your life…'' He cheekily offers.

She shakes her head.

''You know exactly what I mean, Mr. Castle.'' She rolls her eyes at him.

''I do.'' He admits. ''It's just that that statement makes me so happy that I don't know how to react in a proper way.'' He grins.

''Well…'' She pretends to think about it as she props herself up on her elbows and looks at him while he just lays there, looking at her like she is the most beautiful things in his world. And she doesn't know, or doesn't believe it, but she is. ''I did particularly like those few words you've already said a couple of times.'' She says as she bites her lip and grins at him.

''You do?'' He grins back. ''You might have to refresh my memory; what words were that again?''

''Hmm. I think…. three words? Eight letters?''

''Hmm? I can't remember.'' He arches his brow and then she snuggles into his side and puts her mouth close to his ear.

''I think it was… 'I love you'.'' She then offers with a smile.

''Ah, yes. I love you.'' He says and then she's on top of him again; kissing his neck and she's so beautiful and-

''Richard? Richard?'' His mother's voice sounds from the living room, followed up by a door falling closed. That same door that they-

Okay don't get distracted now.

Shit.

Kate's head shoots up and she shoots him a disappointed but happy smile.

He groans.

''Richard? There are clothes all across the hallway what did you- oh! Do you have a visitor?'''

''I think sometimes she forgets that she lives in my apartment instead of the other way around.'' He stage whispers to Kate, who chuckles.

Then she pecks his cheek.

''Go see your mom.'' She says and the words have such a feeling to it that he doesn't even protest.

He sighs and get up, exaggeratedly slow and unwilling. After another kiss he leaves the bedroom.

She gets up as well and starts looking around the room; she hadn't really gotten to do that last night. She smiles as she remembers her clothes are scattered across the living room and reaches for his shirt. At first she hesitates; doesn't want to face Martha. But then she stop herself and pulls the shirt on.

All in, right?

Heart beating a little faster than usual, she leaves the room and slowly heads to the living room.

She spots mother and son standing in the kitchen; both leaning on the island with their heads bowed together. They're whispering, but she can hear what they're saying.

''It's not the stewardess is it?'' Martha whispered with a disgusted look on her face.

Castle smiles and shook his head.

''Why can't you just te-'' Then they noticed her standing in the doorway.

''Hey.'' She awkwardly said.

''Kate! Darling, how are you?''

''I'm- I'm great, actually.'' She said, and she looked surprised by how truthful her own words sounded, and how true they were.

Her smile was wider than he'd ever seen her smile and he was amazed by how she keeps amazing him, every time again.

Then his mother looks at him.

''Richard, I thought you…-'' She moves her head between the two of them and shrugs, trying to make clear what she wants to say without really saying it.

''Yeah. We were. But then…'' He shrugs smiling as he walks over to the brunette still standing in the doorway.

''So are you two…'' She arched a brow.

He looked at her, asking for reassurance, but she spoke up.

''Yes. Yes, we are.'' She smiled. She wasn't going to hide anymore.

Before she knows what's happening his lips are on hers again, and she hears Martha chuckle on the background. She returns the kiss, although it's not long until she pushes him away from her.

She smiles at him, though, just doesn't want to give a show in front of Martha, and he seems to get her.

''So…'' He then starts, grinning as she makes his way to the kitchen island. ''Breakfast? And some new coffee maybe?''

''I'd love that.''

And then she realized, that all this time, all she should have done was give in to him, give in to what she already wanted, to have him stand beside her.

And about that wall?

_What wall? _

…

**Feedback is highly appreciated. **


End file.
